Porto Moniz natural pools: free vs paid, prices and hours
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Quick facts
- Entry
- Main complex €3 (over 3 years old), €1.50 with a student or over-65 card. Cachalote pools free
- Hours
- Main complex every day, 9:00–19:00 in summer, 9:00–17:00 in winter. Cachalote open access
- Water
- About 18 °C from January to April, 21–23 °C from June to November
- From Funchal
- About 50 minutes by car. Bus 340 or 380
- Parking
- Roadside spaces and car parks close to both pool areas; almost all are paid
- Best time
- A calm-sea day, early morning or after 4pm. Avoid the Semana do Mar festival week
- Check first
- Live webcam over the pools or the ticket office, +351 291 850 190
Prices and hours from the Porto Moniz council, last checked 20 October 2026.
Porto Moniz has two sets of natural pools in the black lava on Madeira's north-west tip. The main complex costs €3 and opens every day of the year, 9am to 7pm in summer and 9am to 5pm in winter, with lifeguards, changing rooms and a snack bar. The Cachalote pools next to it are free, with no lifeguard and no facilities. Both are worth the 50-minute drive from Funchal when the sea is calm. On a big swell they can close, whatever the sky looks like.
Free or paid: which pool?
Both areas are filled by the same sea and renewed by every tide, so the water is the same. What you pay €3 for is safety and comfort. With children or weak swimmers, go to the main complex. For a quick dip and photos on a calm day, the free Cachalote pools are enough.
| Feature | Free Cachalote pools | €3 Main pool complex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | €3; €1.50 student or over-65 card; free for children aged 3 and under |
| Hours | Open access; can be closed in dangerous waves | Every day, 9:00–19:00 in summer, 9:00–17:00 in winter |
| Lifeguards | No | Yes |
| Facilities | None | Changing rooms, snack bar, first-aid post, children's pool, playground, sunbeds and parasols for hire |
| Access | Over uneven lava rock | Paths and steps, with access for people with disabilities |
| Best for | Seeing the pools and the view, a quick dip; usually fewer people | A beach day of several hours, and families |
Source: Porto Moniz council and Visit Madeira. Last checked 20 October 2026.
Worth it? Yes, on a calm day.
Floating in a lava pool while the Atlantic breaks on the rocks a few metres away is the most Madeiran swim there is. If I am spending the day, several hours of swimming and lying in the sun, I pay for the complex. If I just want to see the place, take in the view and maybe have a quick dip, the free Cachalote pools are perfect, and they are usually less crowded.
Will the pools be open? Check the sea, not the sky
The north coast takes the Atlantic swell head on, and the swell decides whether you can swim. A sunny day with big waves can close the Cachalote pools and churn up the main complex. A grey, calm morning can be perfect.
Before you drive, look at the live 360° webcam over the Cachalote pools (MadeiraWebLive, on YouTube). It shows the weather and, more usefully, how hard the waves are hitting the rocks. If white water is washing over the edge of the pools, it is not a day for the Cachalote side. For the complex, phone the ticket office on +351 291 850 190 and ask if it is open.
If the pools are closed, the drive is not wasted. Watch the waves hit the rocks from the promenade, then go on to the black sand beach at Seixal or up to the laurel forest at Fanal.
Open the live webcamWater temperature by month
The pools are the open Atlantic, so they are as warm as the sea and no warmer. Late summer and early autumn are the best months; from January to April the water stays around 18 °C.
Long-term monthly averages for Porto Moniz from weather2travel (CRU, Met Office and KNMI data), rounded. Checked 20 October 2026.
When to go
Early morning or after four. Most west-coast day tours from Funchal reach Porto Moniz between half past twelve and one, stop for lunch and a swim, and leave in the middle of the afternoon. That is when the car park and the main complex are at their fullest.
August to October for the warmest water, at 23 °C. June and July are a degree or two cooler, and in winter the complex closes at 5pm.
Weekdays over weekends in summer, when families from the rest of the island come to swim.
Avoid the Semana do Mar unless you are coming for it. The village's sea festival fills Porto Moniz far beyond a normal summer day; in 2027 it runs from 26 July to 1 August. Dates and programme on the Semana do Mar Instagram.
What to bring
Water shoes, if you plan to swim at the Cachalote pools: the lava is sharp underfoot. A towel and a layer for after, because the north-west tip catches the wind. The main complex has a bar, changing rooms and lifeguards; at the free pools there is nothing, but the grocery shop between the two sells water and snacks. Carry a few euros in cash for the entry, just in case.
Getting there
By car, about 50 minutes from Funchal
The fast road west to Ribeira Brava, the tunnel through to São Vicente, then the coast road west past Seixal. It is the easiest way to add Seixal and Fanal on the same day. Read driving in Madeira if you have not driven on the island before.
Parking is close to both pool areas, along the road and in dedicated car parks. Almost all of it is paid.
Compare car hireBy bus from Funchal
Line 340 runs via São Vicente and line 380 via Calheta; the return lines are 341 and 381. The numbers changed on 9 March 2026, so older guides still call them 139 and 80. There are only a few departures a day and the ride is far longer than by car, so check the times on SIGA and plan the whole day around the bus back. More in do you need a car in Madeira?
On a day tour
Most west and north-coast tours from Funchal stop at the pools, usually for an hour or so around the middle of the day. Fine for a look, short for a proper swim. The west route of most jeep tours stops here for lunch. Choose one that leaves time to swim if that is why you are going.
See tours to Porto MonizThe car hire and tour buttons are affiliate links: if you book, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
Nearby
- Aquário da Madeira The island’s aquarium, in the old fort of São João Baptista by the free pools. Good for a rainy hour.
- Seixal Black sand beach under green cliffs, a short drive east along the coast.
- Fanal Centuries-old laurel trees on the plateau above, at their best in the fog.
Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal fit in one day; it is day 3 of our 5-day Madeira itinerary.
Questions about the Porto Moniz pools
Are the Porto Moniz natural pools free?
One of the two areas is. The Cachalote pools, next to the Cachalote restaurant, are free and have no lifeguards or facilities. The main complex costs €3 for anyone over 3 years old, €1.50 with a student or over-65 card, and includes lifeguards, changing rooms and a snack bar (Porto Moniz council, checked 20 October 2026).
What are the opening hours of the Porto Moniz pools?
The main complex is open every day of the year, 9am to 7pm in summer and 9am to 5pm in winter. The free Cachalote pools have open access but can be closed when the waves are dangerous.
What is the water temperature in Porto Moniz?
The pools are filled by the open Atlantic, so they are as warm as the sea: about 18 °C from January to April, rising to 21 °C in June and 23 °C from August to October. November is still around 21 °C.
Is Porto Moniz worth visiting?
Yes, on a calm day. Swimming in a lava pool with Atlantic waves breaking a few metres away is unlike anything else on the island. When a big swell closes the pools, look from the promenade and carry on to Seixal, ten minutes along the coast.
Is there a live webcam of the Porto Moniz pools?
Yes. MadeiraWebLive streams a 360° webcam over the Cachalote pools on YouTube. It is the quickest way to see the state of the sea and the weather before you drive to the north-west of the island.
How do I get to Porto Moniz from Funchal?
By car it takes about 50 minutes, mostly through tunnels via São Vicente. By bus, take line 340 (via São Vicente) or line 380 (via Calheta); the numbers changed in March 2026, so older guides still call them 139 and 80. Most west and north-coast day tours also stop at the pools.
Are the pools safe for children?
The main complex is the better choice with children: it has lifeguards, a separate children's pool and a playground. The free Cachalote pools have no lifeguard, sharp rock underfoot and waves washing in over the edge.